Paul Pierce Plans to End Career In Europe

Pow Salud August 22, 2010

Source: http://netdugout.com

An interesting sound bite came from Paul Pierce recently, he says that he wants to end his playing career in Europe so that he can finish up his NBA career in Green and White. Pierce says that he before he begins real retirement he wants to send himself and his family over to Greece or Italy for a season to get the European experience out of his playing career. Pierce’s ambitions to end in Europe are both admirable and curious. I think its great that as a player he realizes that he wont be able to be the star he is forever. So many players try to live their career by the name they created when they were 25, ala Tracy McGrady seeking gainful employment even as his washedup career hit new lows in minutes and games played. Its cool that Pierce sincerely wants to forever be remembered only as a Celtic and not as some random Wizards role player or bench player on the Heat.

As honorable as this idea is it is also something that is interesting to read into for a few reasons. First it shows the growth of European competition. For an NBA champion and star to actively say he is looking forward to playing over seas shows that the NBA will have some real competition sooner than later. The idea that European leagues can be competitors could give NBA players leverage in the upcoming collective bargaining agreements and looming player lockout. The threat to jump ship from an NBA contract to a European, or even Asian basketball league helps the NBA players union in their quest to retain their current payment levels. Also, the idea that NBA players feel comfortable seeking employment in Europe creates a safety net for players who are concerned about where their paycheck will be coming from in the 2011 season. So while I’m sure Pierce’s comments did not have this type of intent behind it, it shows that if there is a lockout one of the leagues posterboys will have no trouble getting a job doing what he does best elsewhere, and I’m sure many other players could follow suit.

As far as retiring from the NBA, I think I will be done after this contract because eventually I want to go overseas and play and live for a couple of years," Pierce, 32, told Comcast SportsNet. "I want to go to either Italy or Greece for a year. I think I want to be able to bring my family over to just kind of share a different experience overseas ......"
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